The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Arundo formosana and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Oriental Gold’. ‘Oriental Gold’ represents a new cultivar of Tiawan grass, an ornamental grass grown for landscape use.
The inventor discovered and selected the new cultivar, ‘Oriental Gold’, in a cultivated garden in Cedar Lake, Ind. in 1994. ‘Oriental Gold’ was discovered as a naturally occurring cane sport of Arundo formosana. Initially, a small cane sport was discovered that was green with a small yellow stripe and subsequent cane cuttings were performed and re-selected until the new cultivar was selected with foliage that was consistently variegated with foliage that was predominately yellow-green to creamy yellow in color with deeper colored green stripes. The leaf variegation pattern of ‘Oriental Gold’ is unique and unlike any other known cultivars of Arundo formosana known to the inventor.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by cane cuttings in Cedar Lake, Ind. in 1995 by the inventor. The characteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.